The U2 and Rolling Stones Albums That Speak to One Another: “We Wanted To Own Up to Being Fans”

If you are truly a spiritual and earnest music fan who listens to music for hours on end with an analytical ear, then one of the greatest pleasures is discovering two albums that speak to one another. Of course, we don’t mean this in a literal sense. Rather, what we mean is when an album picks up where a previous one left off, and or when an album is directly influenced by a previous work, deliberately or not. Two iconic rock albums that sit in deliberate conversation are Rattle And Hum and Exile On Main Street.

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There are a plethora of albums that speak to one another. Two notable pairs stuck in conversation include Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Pet Sounds, as well as The Dark Side Of The Moon and Ziggy Stardust. Even for the most analytical music fans, noticing these notes of a conversation can be hard to find, and that is the case for U2 and The Stones’ works. However, what makes it easier is when an artist flat-out tells you that there is a connection, and that is exactly what Bono did.

The Underlying Thread that Connects U2 and The Rolling Stones

To be a successful musician, you have to be an above-average music fan. There is no way around it, as one has to be a student of the craft to pick up on the silent nuances that catch the common ear. That being so, even the biggest acts in all the world were once music-obsessed pop-culture scholars.

In a 1988 interview with Hot Press, Bono admitted to being the type of music fan we just mentioned above. As a matter of fact, that was one of the many inspirations behind Rattle and Hum. Regarding that inspiration, Bono stated, “This was a record made by fans — we wanted to own up to being fans.” “And we thought rock ‘n’ roll bands just don’t do that—we all know they are, but they don’t do it. The Rolling Stones did it on Exile on Main St., sort of, and it was a kind of role model.”

The underlying fan connection connecting these two albums is that B.B. King inspired them both. The Stones did not feature King on the album, but he did deeply influence the album’s creation. In contrast, U2 did feature King, as he played on the track “When Love Comes to Town.”

In all, this connective paradigm shows how music can be a reinterpretation of the past.

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